Purchase Power

I somehow managed to forget that I'd pre-ordered this from Shopto.Net so I was somewhat surprised when my phone beeped yesterday with news of it's despatch. A pleasant surprise none the less as I'd already decided not to trade in Split/Second after all.

I was even more surprised when the Isle of Man Post Office actually worked out that signed for next day delivery should actually mean next day and not 'when they can be bothered' and for the first time in living memory I actually have a new game the day before official release.

That it should happen with one of the games I'm most excited about is the kind of serendipty that just doesn't happen to me very often.

Purchase Power

I got a nice Split/Second: Velocity postcard from GAME through my letter box offering me an extra 1000 reward points if I bought said game from them.. Now their loyalty scheme does seem a bit random with amounts popping up at the checkout with scant regard for what I've been spending in there.. However on arrival at my local branch, having taken a late lunch, they didn't appear to have their stock in once again.

So I went to HMV where I picked up Split/Second: Velocity for £35 and Red Dead Redemption for £40 along with 800 Microsoft Points free (always handy) and a unique code for the Armour Horse.. Overall I thought I'd done quite well for high street purchases.. Especially since there appears to be a lack of supermarket discounting on RRR.

The "Complete" List

Left 4 Dead 2 - (All Campaigns)
Mass Effect
Lego Rock Band - Story Mode
Darksiders - Easy
BAYONETTA - Easy Automatic
Lego Batman
Call of Duty: Classic - Normal
Fracture - Casual
Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Heavy Rain - Medium
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Normal
Yakuza 3 - Easy
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Mass Effect 2 - Normal
Peggle: Dual Shot - DS
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Realistic & Co-op - Realistic
Dead Space - Easy - 360
Alan Wake - Normal

There's no doubt a game as relatively straight forward as this one that's been in development for nearly five years has probably lost it's way. In some ways Alan Wake is dated even before it's been released. It's also caught between genre's. It's neither full on Survival Horror but it's not a straight action title either.

The core mechanics are all solid. The bulk of thee game is a battle between light and dark and Mr Wake carries a torch to ward off the dark. Mapped to the right stick along with the camera this works really well. The game is set in the town of Bright Falls which could of come straight from the pages of a Stephen King novel and whilst the visuals may not be state of the art they are certainly packed with atmosphere and a tremendous draw distance which more than makes up for it.

The setting isn't the only debt it owes to the great Mr King and, as if in tribute, he gets several name checks throughout. To be fair King has explored the art of writing and an authors effects on his world in many of his books. (Several of his novels features writers). The plot is solid though and there's a lot of intereting characters Wake meets in his travels which makes the journey as enjoyable as the gameplay.

So whilst it does nothing new and, as the EDGE review mentions there's nothing really in the way of development in either enemies or weapons past the opening couple of chapters what there is enough to sustain the game, and your interest, until the end.

I particularly liked finding the radios and TV sets littered through Bright Falls. In fact the game is coming down with incidental information and asides.

It's a very good, if not great, game.

Currently Playing: Split/ Second Demo

I initally downloaded this for 360 (It's still easier to use X-Box Live.. things download faster and there's no need to install) and was underwhelmed.. It does look amazing but the handling is very simple.. bags of understeer until you tap the brake and then huge amounts of drifting over steer.. It also seemed a bit random as I was in last place with a couple of corners to go on the last lap and then suddenly in first place..

I downloaded the PS3 version and it's (as far as I can tell) technically identical.. However repeated plays of the demo track did start to give me a better feel for it. There's a certain Ridge Racer-ish skill to balancing the drift to get the best line and maintain momentum.

Then it just seemed to click. I think the reason for the simplified driving is so that you can concentrate on the actual race.. Three races in and I was still seeing new parts of the course and experiencing different short cuts and power plays.

There's so much going on that the driving model gives you time to avoid the carnage, concentrate on earning the ability to use your power plays by drifting and drafting and then unleashing them at the best time..

All the reviews suggest a lack of longevity but with Blur around the corner I'll be happy if it gives me a weeks worth of roller coaster thrills and excitement.

Purchase Power

I had decided that I wasn't going to purchase any more, so called, Limited Editions.. But this Alan Wake one looked like it had had some thought put in to it. Instead of the usual, and annoying to get into, metal tin it comes in a nice hard back book effect (Mr Wake is an author you see) magnetic opening box, contains a lovely hardback box with slip cover that actually seems to be packed with information, the sound track CD and a bonus context disc as well as a nice black DVD box for the game for every day use ensuring that the Limited Edition needs minimal opening and can be stored on my shelf.

I traded in Splinter Cell: Conviction. As Nish mentioned recently the RRP on some games is taking a real pounding at the moment (Even God of War 3 is now available in GAME for £25 which really shocked me) so no doubt I can pick it up later for buttons if the DLC turns out good.

Which brings me nicely on to how packed Mays release schedule has become in what would traditionally be the lead in to the quiet summer months and so I'm looking at working out a purchase schedule in a sort of Q4 type manner.

Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands and No More Heroes 2:Desperate Struggle are both likely to get heavily discounted and there's only so much time for games now I'm a married man so there on the 'Wait until it's cheap' list.

Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG initially sounded promising but has now gone on to the 'Wait for the review' List.

Which leaves Split/Second and Red Dead Redemption as 'Day One' purchase and I'll probably trade Split/Second for Blur the week after as that's my other essential purchase.

The "Complete" List

Left 4 Dead 2 - (All Campaigns)
Mass Effect
Lego Rock Band - Story Mode
Darksiders - Easy
BAYONETTA - Easy Automatic
Lego Batman
Call of Duty: Classic - Normal
Fracture - Casual
Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Heavy Rain - Medium
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Normal
Yakuza 3 - Easy
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Mass Effect 2 - Normal
Peggle: Dual Shot - DS
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Realistic & Co-op - Realistic
Dead Space - Easy - 360

I guess having only spent a tenner on it there was no need to try and play it on the hardest difficulty setting.. or I've just reverted to type. Either way there was a lot to like here.

Even with out a kick ass surround system (or indeed any kind of surround system) the audio definitely warrants a mention.. all the clunks and out there noises combined with some awesome graphics gave the game plenty of atmosphere. I also really like the way the game needed no HUD. I can't remember now whether this came before or after Bioshock but the way the protagonist's suit projected all the audio files really added a lot of depth. Personally I'd of rather I'd been able to manage my inventory without being attacked but it certainly added to the survival horror.

All in all a very enjoyable game.

The "Complete" List

Left 4 Dead 2 - (All Campaigns)
Mass Effect
Lego Rock Band - Story Mode
Darksiders - Easy
BAYONETTA - Easy Automatic
Lego Batman
Call of Duty: Classic - Normal
Fracture - Casual
Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Heavy Rain - Medium
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Normal
Yakuza 3 - Easy
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Mass Effect 2 - Normal
Peggle: Dual Shot - DS
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Realistic & Co-op - Realistic

I did the first three missions with a friend and while neither of us where showered in glory we managed to do it all on Realistic difficulty.

I've pre-ordered Alan Wake for Friday though so I was keen to get the Co-op finished so I could trade this. That meant trying to find a random to do the last mission with. Which shouldn't of been to hard..

The first guy that match making brought up had no headset and insisted on trying to shoot the three guards at the start of the level despite being warned at the start that we weren't allowed to raise a single alarm.. He wasn't even trying to take them down with headshots.. just firing away with his pistol. Causing us to fail three times in a row without even moving.. So I quit back to the lobby.

The second guy also had no headset but was obviously some kind of pro gamer as he fired his EMP and ran through the first bit.. leaving me to get caught by the angry guards left in his wake.. the second time he left me!

The third guy (as it turned out a non-English speaking Japanese gamer) had no headset either but was fairly proficient and we made it all the way through to the final part of the level without too much trouble. The last checkpoint took us an hour and ten minutes to complete. Very satisfying though when we finally strung it all together (with out any communication) and made it to the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the co-op campaign... Probably more so then the main story. It works really well.

The "Complete" List

Left 4 Dead 2 - (All Campaigns)
Mass Effect
Lego Rock Band - Story Mode
Darksiders - Easy
BAYONETTA - Easy Automatic
Lego Batman
Call of Duty: Classic - Normal
Fracture - Casual
Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Heavy Rain - Medium
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Normal
Yakuza 3 - Easy
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Mass Effect 2 - Normal
Peggle: Dual Shot - DS
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Realistic

So there was A LOT OF RESTARTS.. some of the checkpoints (I Know this is my usual bugbear) where rubbish.. But generally I really enjoyed it.. The Mark and Takedown function works really well and never gets old. The story is tight and the whole game rocks along with plenty of pace. I wasn't a fan of the new goggles.. I liked the old ones better. But generally a great game and one well worth exeperiencing.